PC RES 2007-062 P.C. RESOLUTION NO. 2007®
RESOLUTION THE PLANNING ISSI F THE
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES FINDINGTHAT THE
CITY'S ACQUISITION OF A VACANT 0.17-ACRE PARCEL
T THE TERMINUS F EAST CREST FOR PUBLIC
PARK AND TRAIL PURPOSES, LOCATED AT 3901 CREST
A (ASSESSOR'S PA CEL N . 7566-016-013), I
CONSISTENT ITH THE AL AND POLICIESF THE
RANCHOPALPALOS VERDESL PLAN
WHEREAS, on June 19, 2007, the City Council considered and accepted Staff's
recommendation to acquire a tax-defaulted property located near the top of San Pedro Hill
at the terminus of East Crest Road; and,
WHEREAS, on September 18, 2007, the City Council adopted Resolution
No. 2007-99, thereby authorizing a budget adjustment to acquire the subject property; and,
WHEREAS, Section 65402(a) of the California Government Code requires that no
real property shall be acquired by dedication or otherwise for street, square, park or other
public purposes, if the adopted general plan or part thereof applies thereto, until the
location, purpose and extent of such acquisition have been submitted to and reported upon
by the planning agency as to conformity with said adopted general plan or part thereof;
and,
WHEREAS, the adoption of Resolution No. 2007-99 on September 18, 2007,
initiated a general plan consistency finding for the acquisition of the 0.17-acre parcel at
3901 Crest Road; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act,
Public Resources Code Sections 2.1000 et. seq. ("CEQA"), the State's CEQA Guidelines,
California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15000 et. seq., the City's Local CEQA
Guidelines, and Government Code Section 65962.5(f)(Hazardous Waste and Substances
Statement), the City of Rancho Palos Verdes reviewed the request and determined that the
proposed request would not have a significant impact on the environment and has,
therefore, been determined to be categorically exempt (Class 16, Section 15316); and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission conducted a hearing on October 23, 2007,
within forty (40) days of the date the request was initiated by the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes, at which time all interested parties were given an opportunity to be heard and
present evidence.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission hereby finds as
follows with respect to the location, purpose and extent of the acquisition of the vacant,
0.17-acre tax-defaulted property at the terminus of East Crest Road (Assessor's Parcel
No. 7566-016-013):
A. The location of the property acquisition is consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan. The subject property is located near the highest point on the Palos
Verdes Peninsula. Roughly two-thirds of the property is steeply sloping down into
Miraleste Canyon,which accounts forthe Hazard Area land use designation forthe
property. However,the existing improvements on the property(i.e., roadway, utility
poles, underground electrical vault, etc.) appear to be consistent with the
development standards of City's RS-2 zoning district. The General Plan notes that
the subject property is in an "[area]with considerations for public health and safety,"
as well as an "[area] for preservation of natural resources." The health and safety
considerations identified on General Plan Figure 12 include extreme slopes and
possible landslide activity,while the resources identified for preservation on General
Plan Figure 13 are natural vegetation. The City's acquisition of this property will
remove the possibility of private development in this location,which could otherwise
be contrary to the public health, safety and general welfare.
B. The purpose of the property acquisition is consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan. The primary purpose of the property acquisition is to facilitate the
possible future development of the Upper Miraleste Canyon Segment of the Palos
Verdes Loop Trail, as identified in the City's Conceptual Trails Plan. The segment is
categorized as "Category IV," meaning that it crosses privately-owned property and
would require the acquisition of several easements to implement. The acquisition of
the subject property eliminates the need forthe City to acquire easement rights from
a private property owner. In addition, the acquisition is consistent with several
Transportation System Policies in the City's General Plan. As a possible secondary
purpose, the subject property could serve as a site for governmental and
commercial telecommunications facilities, based upon its elevation and orientation
overlooking in the Los Angeles Basin. This potential future use would also be
consistent with several Safety Policies in the City's General Plan.
C. The extent of the property acquisition is consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan. The subject property is a vacant 0.17-acre parcel. There are no
other similarly-situated small, vacant parcels in the immediate vicinity within the City
of Rancho Palos Verdes that could be combined with this acquisition, even if such
parcels were available for purchase at this time. The size of the parcel is expected
to be adequate to support the improvements associated with a small trailhead park,
which could include grading the trail tread, signage, a drinking fountain and
benches, similar to the City's Martingale Trailhead Park.
P.C. Resolution No. 2007-62
Page 2 of 3
Section 2: Any interested person aggrieved by this decision or by any portion of
this decision may appeal to the City Council. Pursuant to Section 17.80.070 of the Rancho
Palos Verdes Municipal Code, any such appeal must be filed with the City, in writing,
setting forth the grounds of the appeal and any specific actions requested bythe appellant,
and accompanied by the appropriate appeal fee, no later than fifteen (15) days following
October 23, 2007, the date of the Planning Commission's final action.
Section 3: For the foregoing reasons and based on the information and findings
included in the Staff Report, Minutes and all other records of the proceedings, which are
attached hereto and made a part thereof by reference, the Planning Commission hereby
finds that the City's acquisition of a vacant, 0.17-acre parcel at the terminus of East Crest
Road for public park and trail purposes, located at 3901 Crest Road (Assessor's Parcel
No. 7566-016-013), is consistent with the goals and policies of the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 23 rd day of October 2007, by the
following vote:
AYES: Commissioners Karp, Knight, Lewis and Tetreault, Chairman Gerstner
NOES: none
ABSTENTIONS: none
ABSENT: Commissioner Ruttenberg and Vice Chairman Perestam
RECUSALS: none
Bill Gerstner
Chairman
Joel R as AICP,
Dirac
r of lanning,�Ilding
and C de inforcement; and,
Secreta to the Planning Commission
M:\Projects\ZON2007-00430(City,3901 Crest Rd)\20071023_Reso-PC.doc
P.C. Resolution No. 2007- 62
Page 3 of 3